A weekly roundup of short opinions offered by the Daily Press Editorial Board

December 13, 2012

Butt out of my backseat

Next month the General Assembly will consider a bill from Del. Joe Morrissey (D.-Highland Springs) that would make it illegal to smoke in a vehicle that has a passenger under the age of 13. The proposed punishment is a $100 fine. Morrissey describes children as "captives in cars" and therefore deserving of the protection of the law.

It's a great idea to discourage adults from subjecting kids to their second-hand smoke, but still, we find it hard to endorse this piece of legislation. If we're going to make it illegal to smoke in cars with kids, why not make it a crime to smoke in your house if there's a child in the same room? At some point, we have to acknowledge that if you own the floor, the walls and the roof surrounding a privately occupied space, you have the right to smoke in it.

As an aside, why set the age of the passenger at 13? After all, until you're 16 and in possession of a valid driver's license, you remain dependent on the wheels of others and could therefore be forced to choose between riding with a smoker or standing by the side of the highway with your thumb in the air and your fingers crossed. Do the 14- and 15-year-olds have to fend for themselves?

By the way, Morrissey also proposed a $100 fine and possible community service for motorists who flick their cigarette butts out the window for others to clean up. Now that's something we could get behind.

That's a lot of green

The city of Newport News buys a gentleman's club? Don't worry; it's just a vacant building. The Red Velvet property was among the city's recent acquisitions in the Denbigh area as part of an economic development strategy to reduce blight. The city paid $521,000 for these properties, hoping to improve the look of upper Warwick Boulevard.

The idea of a more aesthetically pleasing corridor is nice, but there are no immediate plans for development in the area. The city has set aside a total of $9.1 million to buy land and install streetcape improvements. Just as we have criticized the city of Hampton's "if we buy it, they will come" practices, we don't think real estate speculation is the best use of municipal funds — especially when there are so many city departments strapped for cash. If a developer were standing by ready to build, as with Brooks Crossing or the Apprentice School, then city participation might be justified.

On the plus side, Newport News only paid assessed value for these parcels. But until someone decides to invest there, the area could remain just as blighted.

City manager Neil Morgan said, "There's nothing wrong with green grass." True, but if the city keeps spending without a plan, this could be the most expensive lawn in Newport News.

Making spirits bright

Here is a fact of life: Charities, particularly those that provide community services to the poor, need donations all year round, but most people — conditioned like Pavlov's dog — tend to open their wallets and their hearts at specific times of the year.

With that in mind, organizations like the Peninsula Community Foundation of Virginia Inc. must try to bring in enough donations between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day to largely sustain their operations for the rest of the calendar year.

That's why we have a Daily Press Holiday Fund every year, rather than, say, a Daily Press Middle of June Fund. In 2011, our readers donated $116,000 to the Holiday Fund. We'd like to surpass that total this year.

The money goes to nonprofit organizations that provide food, clothing and shelter for needy families right here in our own community, as well as programs to prevent child abuse and domestic abuse. Under the principle of "think globally, act locally," these donations are the epitome of money well spent.

And this year, for every $20 donated to the fund, contributors are automatically entered in a drawing to win a 2013 Toyota Camry donated by the Hampton Roads Toyota Dealers.

Please consider donating to the Daily Press Holiday Fund. You can charge your contribution by phone at (757) 247-4862 or online at dailypress.com/holidayfund.

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR: Do you know someone in the Peninsula area who has gone the extra mile to help others or make a difference? The Daily Press is accepting nominations for 2012 Citizen of the Year. Go to the form at dailypress.com/citizen or send an email to rtroyer@dailypress.com.